Cake Pans and Baking Pans

Bake A Cake? Bake A
Casserole?

Use Decent Cake Pans & Baking Pans

Decent Cake Pans and
Baking Pans can make a real difference in how your meals or desserts turn
out.

Many pans can be used for baking other foods like cornbread,
lasagna, strata, cobblers, brownies and even meats, seafood and poultry so I
have grouped these together.

These pans come in all sizes, shapes and materials.

The most common shapes are square, rectangular and round.

Probably the most popular is a 9 X 13 X 2 inch rectangular pan like the Nordicware Covered Pan pictured. Having the lid is a bonus when storing food.

The most common size for a square pan is 8 inches and 1 1/2
-2 inches deep.

Similarly, round cake pans are usually 8 or 9 inches in diameter and 1 1/2 inches deep such as the Chicago Metallic Commercial 8-Inch Round Pan pictured to the right.

These are frequently used for layer cakes.

Aluminum is still the most popular material for these pans,
with or without an anodized surface. But a word to the wise ... not all aluminum
pans are "created" equal.

If you buy an aluminum pan, make certain it
is not "thin."

Most everyone understands that the inexpensive aluminum bake
ware found in most grocery stores and often in discount stores is of very poor
quality. It will warp and rust easily.

If you want an aluminum pan with a non-stick surface, that's
fine, but again make sure it is of decent quality. A cheap nonstick surface
won't last.

Unless you can find heavy "tri-ply" stainless bake
ware that has been thoroughly tested and approved, don't bother with it.
Stainless steel often heats unevenly and that means nothing other than poor
baking results.

Silicone cake pans are relatively new to the
baking scene but a number of people I know really like the product, as do I.

If you need more than one or two baking pans, check bake ware sets. You may save some money
rather than purchasing one pan at a time. See if you find a set that has the
pans you must have and then see what other piece or pieces are part of the set
and whether you could (would) use these often enough to make buying the set
worthwhile.

Two examples of such sets are pictured here.

One is from Anolon and is rated highly by people who have used it.

The other is from Calphalon and again, many people appreciate that bake ware.

Cake pans also come in what I call "novelty" shapes, from guitars to Elmo to heart-shaped like the silicone one pictured here. It's great fun.